Chapter 61: 61

Terms used in this chapter:

Monster Hunter – a hack and slash, strategy adventure game . Unlike traditional computer role-playing games, a player’s Hunter does not grow and has no intrinsic attributes whatsoever . Rather, the Hunter’s abilities are instead defined by the specific weapons and armor they select prior to leaving on a mission . – Source: Wikipedia

“Big . ”

“Huge . ”

Jude and Cordelia said as they stood in front of the huge main gate, which was around 5 meters high .

The village of the Great Storm tribe was bigger than they had expected . At this level, they wondered if calling it a city was more appropriate than calling it a village .

“More than 10,000 people live here . ”

Red Wind spoke with a smile on her face, as Jude and Cordelia’s reactions somehow made her feel better, and Jude came to understand it .

‘The reason why the Devil’s Eye specifically paid attention to this tribe . ’

It wasn’t just the fact that Red Gale himself was a great hero, but also because the power of the Great Storm tribe itself couldn’t be ignored .

“Who are you!”

“Red Wind?!”

A cautious voice and a delighted voice was heard beyond the main gate at the same time .

Red Wind smiled bitterly, and she stepped forward and raised her voice .

“It’s Red Wind! I’m back now! I want to see my father!”

She was bad at speaking the official language of the continent, but naturally, she was fluent in the language of the barbarians .

“What were they talking about?”

“Uh…I think she’s saying that she’s back? It seems like she wanted to see Red Gale . ”

Cordelia asked in a low voice, and Jude replied in a low voice too .

Although Jude was able to read and write in the language of the barbarians, he wasn’t fluent enough to speak it naturally . After all, Jude had only memorized the text in the game .

‘It’s mysterious if you think about it . ’

It was a game created for amusement, but the several languages that appeared in the game can actually be used like a real language .

Of course, there weren’t that many fictitious languages in the game like those created in the Lord of the Rings or Star Trek, as the game’s fictitious languages could be counted in one’s hand .

‘There are other really mysterious things apart from that . ’

This world is identical to the world of the Legend of Heroes series .

He didn’t think that they had really entered the game .

It was more realistic to think that a world, which was identical to the game’s world, existed somewhere, and that the two were reborn in that world .

‘If so, why were they identical?’

The reason why this world was so identical to the world of the Legend of the Heroes series .

Did the production crew of Legend of Heroes imitate this world? Or was there something else?

It was an interesting point to think about for his amusement, but he couldn’t continue his thoughts . Because the main gate was opened .

“Red Wind!”

“Blue Wave!”

A blue-haired girl appeared after the main gate opened, and she widely opened her arms as Red Wind quickly ran and hugged the girl .

“I know her . ”

When Cordelia spoke quietly, Jude also nodded his head .

She was the girl who appeared in Red Wind’s ‘Homecoming’ event .

Her body was completely frozen and became an ice statue, and the scene of Red Wind hugging her while wailing was still clear in their memories .

“Good . Really good . ”

Because it did not turn out like the original .

Because they could meet each other again alive and laugh like that .

With her eyes red with tears, Cordelia turned to Jude and said .

“Let’s completely change it . ”

The fate of the two people .

The future of the Great Storm tribe, who were destined to be destroyed .

“Yes, let’s completely change it . ”

Jude and Cordelia had already changed many futures . As a result, more and more situations that were completely unknown to them had increased, and the dangers had accordingly increased too, but the two had no intentions of stopping their actions .

“Let me introduce you to my friends . They saved me . ”

When Red Wind pointed to Jude and Cordelia, Blue Wave had a wary look but soon smiled widely and extended her hand .

“Red Wind’s friend is my friend . Welcome to our village . The chief told me you were coming . ”

Cordelia blinked her eyes while Jude carefully interpreted it in his mind, and Red Wind said with a smile .

“Blue Wave welcomes you . My father said you were coming . ”

Great Storm seemed to have informed about them in advance .

“Okay, then let’s go quickly . We have to stop the illness from progressing . ”

Cordelia prodded on, and Red Wind nodded her head vigorously . She had left the village in the first place to cure her father, Red Gale .

“Let’s go!”

Red Wind energetically shouted .

And 20 minutes later…

Red Wind burst into tears .

“I was wrong! I’m sorry! Uwaaah!”

It wasn’t tears of deep emotion that she shed in Red Gale’s hug .

It was a cry that was 20% shame and 80% pain .

Spank! Spank! Pak! Pak!

Red Gale was spanking her butt .

To describe it more accurately, she was lying with her stomach on Red Gale’s knee and was getting spanked in the butt by his palm .

Regardless of whether others saw them or not, her pants were lowered as she was spanked, and there was a clear and bright red palm mark on her buttocks .

“She left home because of him…”

Cordelia’s words were somehow persuasive as it seemed like Red Wind had left her home for a completely different reason .

“…but is he really sick?”

Red Gale was spanking Red Wind .

First of all, he was huge .

He wasn’t as big as Landius, or rather, his palms were much larger than Red Wind’s butt, and Red Wind who was on his knee looked like a doll, so he was an enormous person that might be comparable to Landius .

And he wasn’t just huge .

Like Landius, he was a man with tightly packed muscles, and his upper arms were thicker than Cordelia and Jude’s waist .

‘He’s also needlessly good-looking like Landius . ’

Red Gale also inherited the blood of the winter elves who were known to be good-looking . His clean face without a beard gave off a neutral charm that felt closer to Kamael than Landius, though because of his huge build like Landius, it felt different .

As Cordelia thought to herself while nodding, Red Gale ended his punishment and withdrew his hand .

“For the next month, you are grounded . ”

At the somehow familiar words, Jude and Cordelia reflexively recoiled in surprise, but fortunately, Red Gale’s focus was on Red Wind .

He spoke in a very grave tone, before he moved his chin as a gesture to Blue Wave who was waiting in the corner . Blue Wave quickly ran like a squirrel and supported Red Wind, because Red Wind couldn’t even properly walk due to her butt being spanked .

“Huhu…I hate you, Dad!”

“Hmph! Take her away . ”

Red Wind didn’t just run out of her village but even crossed the border .

Generally, it was normal for someone to not return in that situation . In fact, Red Wind was caught and confined at the slave auction house .

Violence was not good, but Jude understood the feelings of Red Gale who scolded her harshly .

“Haa…”

When Blue Wave and Red Wind left, Red Gale let out a sigh, and his face was mixed with concern and relief .

Although he looked to be healthy at first, he was worried about what kind of hardships she had suffered across the border .

But now wasn’t the time to continue worrying about his daughter .

Red Gale adjusted his seating position and then said .

“Thank you very much . For saving my daughter . Great Storm told me . Please understand that I can’t get up because I’m unwell . Really, thank you . ”

It was a rather crude pronunciation of the official language, but they had no problems in understanding it .

Jude smiled and replied .

“It is thanks to Great Storm’s guidance . ”

“I’m Great Storm’s warrior . You are Great Storm’s warriors too . You will help, Great Storm said . ”

While he was seated, Red Gale rolled up his sleeves to show the golden emblem on his right upper arm .

“I have one too . But Jude’s emblem is silver . ”

Cordelia was very happy as she showed her emblem, while Jude quickly proceeded with the conversation instead of taking the trouble of showing his arm .

“As Great Storm said, you are under a curse now, and not an illness . This necklace will stop the progression of the curse . ”

When Jude handed over the Sun’s Necklace, Red Gale spoke with a very serious face .

“He said that it was necessary to cure your disease . I’m really thankful to you for handing over this valuable item . ”

“It’s okay . I’m just lending it to you until the curse has been resolved . Please return it later . ”

Jude clarified that it was a rented item, and not a gift, before he continued his words .

“I’m sorry for the rush, but we’d like to hurry up and get ready for our departure . ”

“Ah! I understand . Great Storm said to help you . You may take anything from our tribe . But there are conditions . I want to welcome you today . Prepare now and leave the departure to tomorrow morning . ”

They were strangers, but at the same time, they were his daughter’s benefactors, and Great Storm, the guardian deity of their tribe, had made them his warriors .

Moreover, they even presented a solution to the illness he was helpless against, so whether they were strangers or not, Jude and Cordelia were already friends of the Great Storm tribe .

It wasn’t just because Red Gale was a mighty warrior that Haraken, an executive of the Devil’s Eye, attempted to get rid of him .

His human charm, derived from his honest and upright personality, and his strong bond with the wild gods, were enough to make him the central figure of the barbarians .

“Okay . We will do so . ”

“Good . White Frost will guide you . ”

After speaking, Red Gale clapped his hands several times, and the young man who was waiting outside the door, entered .

He was a handsome young man with white hair like his name .

“Guide them to the items storage . Give them whatever they want . ”

“I will do so . Please come this way . ”

As soon as he replied to Red Gale, White Frost spoke to Jude and Cordelia as he took the lead, and Jude and Cordelia headed for the items storage in excitement .

And 30 minutes after…

“Wow, there are a lot of amazing items . ”

“Because barbarian weapons were quite rare in the Legend of Heroes series . ”

Most of the items they first saw were equipment .

“Let’s change our armor first . ”

“Yeah, because the dwarf items are too conspicuous . ”

The performance of the ancient dwarves’ work clothes from Frost Anvil were excellent, but their color was a problem .

They will have to wander around like mad on the white snowfield in the future, so the yellow color was too eye-catching .

“Most of them are made from bones or fur . ”

“It’s like the equipment that appeared in Monster Hunter . ”

Thanks to the Winter Protection, they were relatively free from the cold, so they chose equipment that considered mobility rather than wearing heavy clothes .

A dozen minutes passed like that . Cordelia suddenly spoke in a lively voice .

“This! This is it! This is the best!”

“What is it?”

Jude unintentionally looked back and swallowed his breath in an instant .

“How is it, Daddy? Isn’t it cute? It’s so cute that you can’t even breathe, right?”

Cordelia coquettishly said, and Jude neither affirmed nor denied it .

Because she was really cute .

Cordelia had white rabbit ears attached on her head .

To be exact, it was a headband with rabbit ears attached to it, and it was a cute accessory commonly seen in games like JRPG (Japanese Role-Playing Game) .

“The barbarians use animal-shaped equipment to draw out shamanistic power, so this must be real . Equipping the rabbit set increases agility and jumping power . It’s a good choice . ”

“Don’t change the subject . Here’s yours too . ”

Cordelia playfully laughed and held out one more rabbit ears headband to him .

“Me too?”

“Yes, you too . ”

As Jude hesitated, Cordelia said while clicking her tongue .

“It’s okay, it’s okay . Because Jude is a handsome boy . It will suit you . ”

“I was handsome in my previous life too, okay?”

“I don’t think so . ”

Cordelia somewhat swept his hair back and put the rabbit ears headband over the hesitating Jude’s head .

“Wow, it suits you . It perfectly suits you . My Jude is so pretty . ”

“It’s not convincing if you say that with a face that looks like you’ll die from laughing, okay?”

“But…pfft…its power is…kuku…good, right?”

She was right . Though it was a little embarrassing .

“It’s okay, Daddy . I’ll wear it too . There’s nothing to be embarrassed about if we wear it together . ”

“I don’t think so . ”

Jude sourly replied and looked for other items, but unfortunately, he couldn’t find any equipment that was better than the rabbit set .

“Let’s stop looking for armor and begin checking out the weapons . ”

“Is there anything better than the Eastern Warrior’s Sword? Barbarians don’t use swords very often . ”

Rather than swords, the barbarians preferred large weapons such as axes and spears .

According to their settings, Red Wind specializes in the spear, while Red Gale uses a giant halberd .

“It’s free though . ”

“Yes, that is why we have to find something . ”

Most of the weapons were large, so they couldn’t find anything that could be used as a main weapon . Instead, Jude and Cordelia took several useful daggers and hatchets .

“Because I have Cheonmujiche . ”

“Yes, yes, Uncle Cheonmujiche is good at anything he does with his body . Lastly, you wear this equipment . ”

Cordelia held out a white, round, and furry item .

“What is that?”

“Rabbit tail . ”

It was the finishing touch to the rabbit set .

Jude’s face darkened, while Cordelia’s face brightened in contrast to him .

***

Afterwards, their schedule went smoothly .

Jude and Cordelia went to the altar of Great Storm and took the Wind’s Wing Arrow . They joined in the simple banquet held by Red Gale, and by the next morning, they left the village of the Great Storm tribe .

“It would be good if you learned Flame Spirit summoning . Great Storm also said that you have an aptitude for it . Your spear skills are good but try practicing archery too . You’ll have good results . ”

Numerous rankers of Legend of Heroes created Red Wind’s strongest tech tree as a result of various experiments .

At Jude and Cordelia’s earnest request, Red Wind nodded her head several times while saying that she understood it .

And a dozen minutes later…

Jude suddenly stopped walking and looked back as he said .

“Lady Cordelia . ”

“Yes, Daddy . ”

“Why do you keep walking behind me?”

“So that I can see Daddy’s tail well . ”

When Jude’s expression stiffened, Cordelia cheerfully laughed and said .

“Okay, okay . I’ll take the lead for a while . Relax by looking at my tail . ”

“I’m okay with it though?”

“Why are you walking behind me when you said you’re okay with it then?”

“For fairness?”

“Bullsh*t . ”

In the end, the two walked side by side as usual .

The task that Great Storm had assigned them was to investigate Violent Avalanche’s sanctuary .

But the two had one more purpose .

“Are we also going there?”

“We should stop by there . ”

In Legend of Heroes, there were few opportunities to travel through the land of the barbarians .

It was possible in the early stages of Kirara’s scenario and in the part of Red Wind’s homecoming, but even in the homecoming part, the places they could go to were limited .

‘They said that all areas will be opened in the last expansion pack . ’

And perhaps it was the reason why there were several areas that they couldn’t go then, even though it was obvious that something was there .

There was one line that Jude and Cordelia had taken note of .

In Red Wind’s homecoming event, there was a line that said, ‘There seems to be something . ’ However, that area couldn’t be visited despite that fact .

That area just near the road to Violent Avalanche’s sanctuary, so they thought that they should stop by there first .

‘If my hypothesis is correct…Solari’s ruins would be in that place . ’

The ruins of Solari, the sun god .

There were certain patterns in the ruins of Solari located throughout the continent, so in Jude’s hypothesis, several ruins of Solari must have also existed in the land of the barbarians .

And as if it was obvious, the places that they couldn’t go to in the game and the places that Jude suspected to have the ruins of Solari were both located in the same position on the map .

“Let’s go quickly . ”

“Yes, Daddy . ”

However, the two only pretended to walk and did not take a step forward . Because both of them were intending to walk behind the other .

“What’s with those intentions?”

“Are you talking about you or me?”

Eventually, the two walked side by side again .

And at the same time, in a completely different place…

There was a male and female pair who were likewise squabbling .

***

“What did you just say?”

“They must have crossed the border . ”

Adelia appeared in front of Gaël, who was doing his morning training in their accommodation’s yard, and she said with an agitated face .

“The signal keeps moving away . They’re still moving north even at this moment . ”

Gaël and Adelia were now in Vedrfolnir, considered as the entrance of Count Hræsvelgr’s territory .

Considering that Jude and Cordelia spent nearly fifteen days traveling from Langesthei to Vedrfolnir, Gaël and Adelia’s traveling speed was seriously fast .

But it was not enough . Jude and Cordelia were still so far away .

And what was worse here was the fact that they completely crossed the border .

“Are you saying that Jude and Cordelia crossed over to the land of the barbarians?”

“That’s what I’ve been saying! I’ve already told you that a few times!”

Adelia loudly shouted, before she took a deep breath, puffed out her chest, and then said .

“This isn’t the time to argue about this and that . We have to cross the border too . ”

There was a huge difference between wandering within the Sälen Kingdom and wandering in the land of the barbarians beyond the border .

The land of the barbarians .

It was the land of the savage and cruel barbarians .

The Sälen Kingdom had been fighting these barbarians for hundreds of years already .

‘Jude, you evil bastard!’

Going to a nice place wasn’t enough for you when you took her around, so you dragged Cordelia to such a living hell?

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t forgive him . Even if Cordelia objected or her father opposed it, she would have their engagement called off without fail once she caught the two .

“I’ll even go by myself, just so you know . ”

“Let’s hurry then . ”

“Excuse me?”

“Let’s hurry up then . ”

Gaël didn’t end it with just words alone . He went right back to his room, and within a few minutes, he packed all his luggage and came down .

“First of all, we must keep it a secret that Jude and Lady Cordelia have crossed the border . Count Hræsvelgr will somehow get in the way if he knew that we’re trying to cross the border too . ”

Count Hræsvelgr was the margrave that guarded the border .

The head of the Jackdaws wouldn’t easily let them cross the border .

“Wait, we’re sneaking through?”

“Were you thinking of openly crossing then?”

When Gaël asked in return, Adelia was instantly speechless and blinked her eyes .

Because it was as what Gaël said .

Several procedures were needed to legally cross the border . Moreover, it was unlikely that Count Hræsvelgr, who had already been disgraced by Jude and Cordelia, would obediently let them create a new problem .

It would be a huge blow to Count Hræsvelgr if he eventually allowed Gaël and Adelia to cross the border and then some accident happened to them there .

Still, Adelia had no choice but to be flustered .

“Will that be okay?”

“Oh, how do you cross the border then? You don’t have to worry about it . Count Bayer knows everything about the border that separates the north . If it’s a route to secretly cross the border, there are about 10 routes that we know . ”

“N-no, that’s not it . ”

It wasn’t just crossing over the wall next door .

It was a situation of crossing over the northern wall that bordered the land of the barbarians .

During their travel together in the last few days, Adelia had thought that Gaël was an upright and sincere man .

He was a man of integrity himself who did not skip training every morning even during a trip, did not show signs of hardship no matter how hard it was, and solved everything according to the set rules, whether other people spoke ill of him or not .

But this man was trying to sneak across the border .

It was also through a secret route that Count Bayer knew .

“Do you have any other problems then?”

“That…no, it’s not a problem . ”

He naturally knew that she would object .

Or go to Count Hræsvelgr and ask for help .

“Let’s start right away then . ”

Before she knew it, Gaël had already brought out the horses from the stable . The dumbfounded Adelia suddenly found herself riding on the horse and running after Gaël .

She thought it was an unexpected action for him .

He was a man who was not fully sincere . No, he was a sincere man, but he could discern the gravity of the situation .

“We’re going to change horses in Lankebuste! I’ve contacted them in advance, so we won’t suffer from any delays!”

In addition, he was a man who was thoroughly prepared .

‘How reliable . ’

He somehow resembled her older brother .

Adelia slightly raised her assessment of Gaël as she unconsciously smiled a little, before she focused on riding again .

Their horses continued running towards the north .